Take Your Kids to Your Old Work Day
by laurah2215
Summary: The Concannon's series-story 28


Title: Take Your Kids to Your Old Work Day

Series: The Concannon's Present, Past and Future

Author: Laura H

Rating:PG/Teen

Disclaimer: Are we still doing this? I'm a twenty-one year-old student with a bus pass.

Synopsis: CJ and Danny take the kids to Washington.

Author's Notes:

Story 1-I Loved Her First

Story2- Just Another Day in Paradise

Story 3: My Little Girl

Story 4:Chivalry Isn't Dead

Story 5:He's Just Sensitive

Story 6: The Hardest Conversation Ever

Story 7: Letting Go

Story 8: Getting Good at New Things

Story 9: Where We Need to Be

Story 10: Always Loved By Me You're Gonna Be

Story 11: Endings and Beginnings

Story 12: Proud of the House We Built

Story 13:Starting a Club

Story 14: First Pet

Story 15: Miscommunication

Story 16:The Go-Between

Story 17: The Third and Fourth Wheel

Story 18: You Can Let Go

Story 19: Make the World Go Away

Story 20: Invalid

Story 21: Hands on a Miracle

Story 22:And At the End and the Beginning Was You

Story 23: Reunions

Story 24: The Lord Giveth and the Lord Taketh Away

Story 25: Separation Anxiety

Story 26: Learning the Ropes

Story 27-I Will Take Care of You

Story 28: Take Your Kids to Your Old Work Day

Timeline:Nov 2006- CJ and Danny finally see what they've been missing for

eight years

. Story 19- Make the World Go Away

Jan 2007- Story 24- "The Lord Giveth and the Lord Taketh Away".CJ and Danny move to California together. CJ becomesPresident of the Hollis Foundation. Danny begins writing Josiah Bartlet's biography.

July 2007-CJ and Danny get married at the Bartlet farm and conceive Abigail during their honeymoon in Ireland.

August 2007:Story 13-"Starting a Club"

Sept 2007- Danny starts school to finish his doctorate

Nov 2007-Story 20 "Invalid"

January 2008- "Parental Discretion is Advised""

February 2008- Abigail is born

March 2009-Patrick is born.

August 2009:Story 25-"Separation Anxiety"

August 2010:Story 23-"Reunions"

January 2011: Story 5-He's Just Sensitive"

Sept 2013:Story 2-"Just Another Day in Paradise"

Nov 2013- February 2014: Story 3- "My Little Girl"

June 2014:"Take Your Kids to Your Old Work Day"

May 2015: Story 14- "First Pet"

June 2020:Story 16-"The Go-Between"

June 2021: Story 4- "Chivalry Isn't Dead"

June 2021: Story 17: "The Third and Fourth Wheels"

Jan 2025:Story 6-"The Hardest Conversation Ever"

March 2025: Story 7- "Letting Go"

June 2029-Story 11 "Endings and Beginnings"

May 2032: Story 1-Abigail's wedding- "I Loved Her First"

July 2032: Story 8- "Getting Good at New Things"

September 2032: Story 9-"Where We Need to Be"

January 2033: Story 10-"Always Loved By Me You're Gonna Be

July 2033: Story 12- "Proud of the House We Built"

September 2033: Story 15-"Miscommunication"

March 2044:-"You Can Let Go"

May 2045-"I Will Take Care of You."

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"Who was on the phone?" Danny inquires, plotting his next Checkers move as he sits on the floor of the den next to his son and hovers over the board game on the coffee table.

"Josh. Santos called and he wants me to come in and help with the Middle East peace summit next week. He thinks since I've already built trusting relationships with the Israeli and Arab leaders I could help them broker a fair deal." CJ sits down on the couch, watching her six year-old daughter drawing and her son and husband engaging in a game of Checkers.

"Typical Land for Peace stuff? Israel gives back to the Palestinians land won in the last war in exchange for a promise not to bombard them with rocket fire?" Danny divides his attention between talking to his wife and playing with his son. Patty had recently become obsessed with Checkers so Danny has to play at least one game a night with his five year-old.

"Basically. There's some talk of denouncing the PLO and Hamas, but it's still up for negotiation. I guess the President wants Josh and I to come back to D.C for a few days of consulting." Even though CJ has been busy juggling projects at the Hollis Foundation and raising the young kids, a part of her is excited to go back to Washington and be part of the power politics again. President Santos had been trying to build lasting peace throughout the Asian and African continents, but he can now devote more energy to the process since his term is almost over and he no longer has to worry about reelection.

"So, are you gonna go and lend your expertise and credibility?" Danny turns to CJ with a relaxed smile. He should be concerned that after CJ relapses to her old lifestyle and old haunts, she might fall off the cozy, domestic wagon she had been riding for the last seven years. However, he is confident that CJ thoroughly enjoys the D.C detox plan she has been living since they moved to Santa Monica. CJ is professionally fulfilled through being President of the Hollis Foundation, and personally fulfilled by being his wife and a mother to their two beautiful children.

"I dunno," CJ admits with a bemused smile. It is evident that she is pondering the possibility. " I shouldn't. I'm busy at work enough as it is. But this is something President Bartlet never was able to complete, and it would be nice to help President Santos achieve one of his biggest objectives. With the election in November and the likelihood of a Republican in the Oval Office a year from now, it could be nice to have a last chance of affecting meaningful change."

"Well then you should go," Danny declares, watching Patty make his next move.

CJ is formulating a different idea in her mind. "Well, Josh mentioned Donna wanted to go with him and revisit the White House and the old gang, so I think they're going to take the kids and make a little vacation out of it. I thought maybe we could do the same. The kids have never been to the White House, so we could take them there and you could maybe drop by the Post and show the kids where you used to work."

Danny beams at the suggestion. "Yeah, that would be great. I could show off my offspring to my old colleagues. I've got so much to be proud of now."

CJ chuckles, loving that Danny is such a doting and devoted father.

"Can we play catch?" Patty asks quickly, his gaze wandering to the large window in the den. Patty isn't a natural athlete as of yet, but he wants to learn how to play baseball because his sister and daddy practice all the time and he wants to be included in their fun.

"You wanted to play Checkers," Danny gently reminds his son.

"I'm bored. I wanna go outside and throw the ball," Patty decides, jumping up spontaneously. This is a constant occurance in the Concannon house. Patrick has a very short attention span, part of his over all behavioural disorders associated with Autism. Patty needs consistent routines to avoid stress, but his own mind wanders very quickly and he becomes restless and agitated after partaking in an activity for even a small amount of time. Full-length movies, lengthy formal dinners and long sporting events tend to be disastrous for the family. They are all still coping with Patty and trying to get him the best treatment available. On top of everything, Abbey had recently undergone a bone marrow transplant a few months back and she is readjusting to being back in school and recovering from her leukemia. Because of everything, CJ and Danny hadn't traveled since Christmas. Now that things are settling down, CJ wants to get out of Santa Monica for a little while.

"All right, we'll go play outside for a bit," Danny concedes, following his son out of the den. Sometimes it is trying, but Danny has incredible patience when it comes to his children and their often crazy antics.

"Just for fifteen minutes!" CJ calls behind them. " It's almost time to get ready for bed."

"Hey, don't you all look like the families out of an L.A sitcom," Sam exclaims, meeting his guests in the main West Wing lobby. Since CJ, Danny Josh and Donna no longer have White House passes, Sam has to sign in them and their families.

"Shut up," Josh retorts with a grin, shifting four year-old Ella onto one arm as Sam give him a quick hand-shake and pat on the shoulder.

"I seem to remember you mocking California when you came begging for my help almost eight years ago," Sam points out to Josh as he hugs Donna and ruffles two year-old Davy's fluffy blonde hair, who Donna has balancing on her hip. Noah is standing between his parents with an excited look of anticipation. He hadn't been to the White House since the family had moved to Santa Monica.

"Well, CJ and Danny managed to convince us it wasn't that bad. And we kinda actually like it," Josh responds as Sam moves on to greeting CJ and Danny.

"It's so good to see you all. You look great, CJ. Danny, is that a bit of a tan you got?" Sam teases as he hugs Abbey (Patty is clinging to CJ in paralyzing fear at the new, intimidating surroundings).

"It's actually just redness. I've become a permanent red prune," Danny supplies with a grin as he holds his daughter's hand.

"How you feeling, sweetie?" Sam inquires of little Abigail. He notices she isn't sporting Danny's old baseball cap anymore, as her own hair has grown back to just below her ears.

"Good. I'm back at school now," Abbey informs Sam with a look of pride. The little girl was happy just to be resuming a normal life again, although she still has frequent monitoring by the doctors. So far, it looks like the cancer has been beaten into remission.

"Well, why don't we head to my office?" Sam suggests, leading the group through the familiar halls. "Noah, you probably remember your Dad's old office, but I thought it would be nice for the rest of the kids to see where Josh and CJ used to work."

"Sounds good," CJ replies, a mixture of feelings. A part of her is thrilled to be back here working on a worthwhile initiative for the President. But as they weave through the hallways, she also can't help but reminisce about all the stress and anxiety that accompanied her gigs as Press Secretary and Chief of Staff. She tries to re-jog her memory back to the first couple years that were relatively pleasant, back when Danny was a senior correspondent and spent his days writing about the President and trying to woo her into a date.

Danny is excited to be back at the White House. As they pass familiar rooms, he informs the kids about all the important people who used to occupy the offices. He plans to take CJ and the children to the Press Briefing Room so he can re-enact his and CJ's old playful bantering and bickering. He hasn't run that plan by his wife yet, but he presumes he can get her thinking about old times relatively easily.

"That's where Mommy and I used to work," Josh points out the Communications bullpen for the sake of Ella and Davy, who wouldn't have known.

"And later we'll go see Mommy's last office which was much bigger than any of the offices Daddy had," Donna replies with a smirk. When she was the First Lady's Chief of Staff, she liked to lord it over Josh that she had a larger and more elegant office than him, even if his was attached to the Oval Office.

"Ah, it's good to have you back," Sam says as he shakes his head when they enter the outer office to the Chief of Staff.

Margaret looks up from her computer and instantly smiles at the collection of visitors. " You made it!" She rushes from her desk to hug two of her old bosses and their spouses and children.

"How are you? How's Mason?" CJ inquires. She can't believe Margaret has lasted so long in the White House. She had assisted four chiefs of staff in her almost sixteen years of service in the West Wing.

"He's great. Growing like a weed. All he talks is football, and I have no clue why because I hate it. Look at you guys! You're growing so much!" Margaret exclaims to the children.

"Do I get a lollipop?" Noah inquires eagerly. When he had visited his dad at the office, Noah was always given a lollipop by Margaret who kept them in her desk for her son and any children visiting the Chief of Staff.

"Noah! That was rude. Apologize to Margaret. You shouldn't have expected Margaret would still give you a lollipop," Donna reprimands her son.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have thought you'd still have lollipops for us," Noah whispers to Margaret with his head bowed.

Margaret smiles easily. "That's okay. I have a whole jar full if each of you would like one. But you've got to ask your parents first."

This immediately results in the children quickly asking their parents for lollipops. Margaret presents a jar from a drawer of her desk and passes out the treats. Only Patty declines, curling into CJ in shyness and fright.

"Now that we're all jacked up on sugar, would you like to see my office?" Sam asks the group with a grin. Luckily the workload is relatively light today, aside from the peace negotiations, so Sam has time to spare.

"You gotta be on your best behaviour," Danny reminds his daughter. He and CJ had briefed the children on White House etiquette in preparation for today's visit.

After Danny and CJ had paid a visit to the Press Briefing Room (leaving both a little misty eyed after remembering their old, childless life), she and Josh had went with Sam and the President to assist in the peace deal efforts, leaving Danny and Donna with the kids. They had taken the children to the Mess for lunch before making plans to show the kids the Smithsonian museums. They had been making their way back through the West Wing, when Danny was approached by an old colleague who wanted to pick his brain for suggestions for a story she was writing. Donna told Danny to take his time talking to the reporter and that she would take the kids and wait for him outside the gates. With much reluctance on the part of PJ, Danny had left the children in Donna's competent care with promises to reconnect in a few minutes. Donna had nearly made it outside, carrying Davy in one arm and holding Patty's hand with the other, when she was stopped by one of the First Lady's staff members that she used to work with.

"Donna, when you left you didn't have five kids," Jenna Fraser jests.

Donna smiles with a little laugh. " No. Well you remember Noah and Ella, and this is our youngest and final, David. These two are Abbey and Patrick and I'm watching them for friends of ours."

"Wow. I can't believe how much you've grown, Noah and Ella. Are you all enjoying your visit to the White House?" Jenna smiles pleasantly at the children.

"My mommy's helping the President," Abbey declares with pride.

"Well that's very nice. I hope you guys have a nice day," Jenna responds warmly.

"So, how is Helen?" Donna asks conversationally.

"Oh, she's great. We've been working on child nutrition issues," Jenna supplies.

"I saw that. That's fantastic, Jenna. The First Lady has made a lasting impression on the country," Donna tells her sincerely.

"Do you miss working here?" Jenna inquires.

Donna has to pause to consider the question. "Sometimes I do. It was a great experience working for the First Lady. But I love it so much in California. Josh and I have so much more time for the kids, and I really love it at the Hollis Foundation."

"Well I'm glad you're so happy," Jenna replies. Her Blackberry buzzes and she scrolls through it to read the latest message. " I'm so sorry. I really have to run. Say hi to Josh for me." The other woman bolts quickly without looking back.

"All right, guys we better get…" Donna turns around to discover she is minus four children. Everyone besides Davy, who had been in her arms, has disappeared. A rush of panic courses through her and she goes into damage control mode. " Oh, my God." She frantically retraces her route, pausing to ask anyone she passes if they've seen four young children. She imagines they would stick out significantly to anyone roaming the halls. She is growing hysterical and considering calling Danny to enlist him in the search effort, but she doesn't want to admit yet that the kids had gotten away from her. She decides to keep searching for a few minutes before alerting the father to her egregious lapse in attentiveness.

"Patty, slow down! We gotta go back to Donna!" Abbey calls after her little brother as they run through the West Wing hallways. Abbey is worried as they pass confused and concerned adults who don't know how to respond to finding four children racing through the corridors.

"I want Daddy! I gotta go to his old office," Patty responds, trying to remember his way back to the area that his father had said was where he used to work.

"I think this is a bad idea," Ella projects loudly. "We should have told Mommy that Patty wanted to see his daddy. She could have took us there."

"It's okay. We'll find Danny. I think the office was this way," Noah points out, redirecting Patty down a different hall. He can't remember his way around the whole building because he was really little the last time he came to the White House, but he believes he may recall some places.

"We're gonna be in so much trouble," Ella exclaims with worry.

"Daddy!" Patty screams excitedly just as they locate the press offices and find Danny talking to the other reporter around her cubicle.

Danny glances up in surprise to spot his children and Noah and Ella, but no sign of Donna in sight. " Hey. What are you guys doing here? Where's Donna?"

Patty flings himself into Danny's arms and buries himself in his father's chest.

"Patty wanted to see you, so he decided to take off and look for you. So I ran to get him and Noah and Ella came with us," Abbey offers as an explanation.

"Wow, I don't know where to start. Um, Harriet, would you excuse me? I've got to deal with this." Danny turns to the reporter with an apologetic expression.

"Of course. It was nice to see you again. Thanks for the suggestions," Harriet replies with a smile for the children.

"No problem. Good luck with the article," Danny states as Harriet leaves to go back to her cubicle. He returns his attention to the children. " Okay, I'm glad you're all right but where is Donna?"

"Probably looking for us. We're gonna get a big timeout for this," Ella predicts with a pronounced frown.

Danny sighs audibly. "All right. I'm gonna call her and tell her you all are safe. She's probably worried sick." Danny flips out his phone and locates Donna's cell number from his address book and initiates the call.

"Danny!" Donna exclaims in relief as she answers her phone. "I've been trying to get a hold of you."

Danny guides the children back through the corridors, this time careful to keep watchful tabs. It is hard to be responsible for four children six years and under. "I know. My phone was on 'silence'. I'm sorry. The kids are here with me so please don't worry. I guess Patty decided he needed to see me so he took off, and Abbey went after him to stop him, and Noah and Ella followed them."

"Oh, God. Danny, I am so sorry. I ran into Jenna from the East Wing and I just took my attention away for two seconds and…"Donna is flustered as she tries to justify losing Danny's kids on him.

Danny chuckles lightly. "Don't worry, Donna. I completely understand. It's not your fault. I have flighty children. I've lost them at the mall three times. CJ nearly murdered me. I'm thinking of investing in those kid leashes so they can't get away." Danny jokes to ease Donna's obvious anxiety. " I'm just sorry that they got away from you, brought along Noah and Ella, and most likely caused you a minor aneurism."

Donna is relieved to know the kids have been found and Danny doesn't hate her and consider her a bad mother for losing the children. "Hey, I'm just glad to know they're safe. I had tried calling you a few minutes ago but when I didn't get a response I…uh…I called CJ. I figured it was best to have us all look for them before they caused a scene in the White House."

"Oh, no," Danny groans, visibly flinching at the reaction CJ will predictably have when she meets him again. He knows she won't blame Donna, but she will likely blame him for burdening Donna with their kids, especially when Patty was so distressed. "I wish you hadn't told her. She's going to kill me."

"I'm sorry, Danny. I thought it would be the right thing to do. She and Josh are on their way from the diplomatic meetings." Donna feels guilty for calling CJ and risking Danny getting blamed, but she thought it would be best to enlist the help of their spouses in order to find the kids as soon as possible.

Danny grimaces, envisioning a few sexless nights in his future. He believes he didn't do anything wrong, after all Donna had volunteered to take the kids for a little while so he could chat with his old colleague. Plus, Donna is a competent mother, their neighbour who knows their children very well, and one of CJ's close friends. It wasn't as if he dropped the kids off with a stranger. "It's okay. She'll be pissed at me, but that's no big deal. I'll give her a call now to let her know we've got the kids. Why don't we meet up in the lobby?"

"All right. Thanks for being so understanding. I've actually never lost my kids in a public place before, and especially not at the White House." Donna feels the need to reiterate her credentials as a good mother and care-giver.

Danny shuffles Patty in his arms as the little is boy growing heavy. "No worries. These things happen. The important thing is that you responded immediately and were doing everything you could to find them quickly. Listen, I'm going to let you go so I can devote this hand to keeping tabs on our little explorers. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Okay, sounds good. Tell the kids I love them but Noah and Ella can look forward to a stern talking to when I get my hands on them." Donna has to tease through her stress. Thankfully, the crisis had been managed well.

"Now, you guys know I love you more than anything and am glad you're safe and got back to Daddy, but I am not impressed that you left Donna's sight and went running around the West Wing. You scared Donna to death, and that is not nice. Please apologize to Donna." CJ gives Abbey and Patty a big group squeeze before becoming stern and serious.

"I'm sorry," Abbey whispers, walking over to Donna and hugging her legs. The families had been reunited in the lobby and the parents are in the process of reprimanding the children's behaviour.

"I'm sorry. I was really scared and I wanted my Daddy," Patty pouts to Donna with little puppy dog eyes. "But I shouldn't have took off."

Donna smiles warmly, bending to hug the little boy. "It's all right, Patty. But you had me worried. You should have told me if you wanted to see your dad and we could have went back to get him. Next time just tell me if you need something."

"Exactly, buddy. You should have told Donna how you were feeling because she was the adult who was looking after you," Danny tells his son.

"And, Abbey, I know you were just trying to help your little brother so he wouldn't get lost by himself, but you should have told Donna that Patty was walking away," CJ tells Abbey gently. She knows that none of the children individually were responsible for the great escape. Patty was uncomfortable in the surroundings and wanted to get back to Danny. Abbey had been following her little brother to protect him, and Noah and Ella had been worried about why their friends were walking off. The four of them had all made mistakes and errors in judgment, but the parents understand that they're just small children who are learning. Right now the parents feel their job is to explain why their actions were wrong and give them a better option for a similar situation in the future.

"And you two should have let Mommy know that Patty and Abbey were walking away," Josh directs to his two oldest children.

"Everything's fine now. We're all glad that you were safe. Now, Josh and CJ have to get back to the President. Why don't Danny and I take you outside to walk around for a bit?" Donna suggests. The kids are getting restless and she thinks the walk along the Mall to the Smithsonians would be beneficial for them.

"I don't know. Maybe I should stay for Patty…" CJ contemplates hesitantly. She doesn't know if she should be spending the time helping the President when her family needs her.

Danny shakes his head adamantly. "Honey, he's fine. I've got him. I won't let him out of my sight. Now, go. You and Josh should get back to the meeting. Donna and I will be fine with the kids."

"Yes, CJ. We'll be fine," Donna adds optimistically.

CJ frowns, appraising her son who his clutching Danny's leg. She doesn't want to leave unless she knows Patrick will be comfortable with just Danny. "Sweetie, are you okay to go with Daddy? Can Mommy go to the conference for a little while?"

Patty nods solemnly, not wanting his mom to leave, but also knowing that he will have a good time with his dad. "Okay. Will you come back to the hotel to tuck me in at bed time?"

CJ bends to kiss her son's little cheek. "Oh, of course, sweetheart. We'll be back before then. You go and have a nice afternoon with Daddy and Donna and the kids and we'll hopefully see you at dinner. All right?"

"All right then, I guess we'll be going. You be good for Mommy," Josh tells his own children with quick kisses for each of them.

"Bye, honey," CJ says to Abbey with a big hug.

"Go on, get out of here," Danny instructs with a crooked smile, pecking his wife quick on the lips. " Go do a job."

"Do you think they're getting anything accomplished on the peace accord?" Donna asks Danny conversationally as they sit with the kids on a bench along the Mall area.

"Hopefully. Although Amaar Zabine is quite a stubborn character from the looks of it," Danny responds, handing his son a plastic bottle of apple juice. They had taken the kids through the interesting exhibits at some of the Smithsonians (mostly the old animals in the Natural History Museum and the space exhibits at the Air and Space Museum). Now they are taking a rest outside and refueling the kids with snacks.

"If they can make some progress, it will go a long way toward world peace," Donna remarks with good wishes for the President and his advisors.

"Definitely. Now, should we head back to the hotel?" Danny suggests, hoping to get some down time before dinner. It had been a long day.

"They're both sound asleep," Danny announces to his wife as he enters their hotel suite's bathroom to find CJ brushing her teeth later that night. He had just checked on the children sleeping on the pull-out couch in the living area of their hotel suite.

"Good," CJ responds, setting her toothbrush down and allowing Danny room at the sink.

"I'm really sorry about today. I thought the kids would be fine with Donna for ten minutes. I'm sorry I had to take you away from the conference." Danny feels the need to reiterate his apologies.

CJ nods with a quirk of her lips. "Danny, it's fine. I know you didn't do anything wrong. The kids have stayed with Donna plenty of times. I guess it just goes to show it's a good thing I'm not working in the White House anymore. I couldn't imagine dealing with this on a daily basis. Kids getting loose in the White House…diplomatic conferences having to be abandoned because Patty is emotional or Abbey is sick…having to constantly choose between work and the family and never feeling competent in either domain. I guess women can't run the world and a family at the same time."

Danny's brows perk in a confused manner. "Wow, that's a complete reversal of the way you've looked at your job and family before. You were the one who always insisted you could have it all-women could have a fulfilling career and be a devoted wife and mother. And I completely agreed and wanted to do everything I could do, including staying home with the kids for years, so you would be able to have it all. And in one day your total philosophy is being challenged?"

With a sigh, CJ sits on the toilet seat. "I know I can have _a job_ and raise the kids, but I couldn't be working as a top official in the White House and still be a good parent."

Danny shrugs. "Josh and Donna did it for a couple years."

"Yeah, and they were miserable," CJ retorts. "They were exhausted and frustrated and their marriage nearly fell apart. That's why they moved to five doors down from us, so they could have a life more suitable for raising their family."

Danny grimaces, realizing that CJ was probably right and that they wouldn't have had such a loving family life if she was still the President's Chief of Staff and he was chasing stories across the globe for the Washington Post.

CJ stands up and wraps both long arms around Danny's neck. "Don't look so pained. I don't want this anymore. Was it nice to be back at the White House helping the President promote world peace? Of course. It reminded me how exciting it used to be…the adrenaline rush every time we assisted the President in solving a complex problem in an effective manner. But I don't want to do this all the time. I'm too old for it. It's much more exciting teaching Abbey to read or taking Patty to the park. And it's definitely more thrilling coming home to you after a long day, and ending the night making love and falling asleep in your arms. I love the life we've made for ourselves, and I don't want to go back to the way I used to be. I mean, come on, you know how happy I am in Santa Monica with you. Did you really think I'd come back to Washington and suddenly desire to return here and dump my family?" CJ raises her brow with a little smile.

Danny cracks a grin. "Nah, I wasn't worried. I just don't like to hear you saying that you can't have a completely satisfying career and still be a good mother. It's just not you, and it bothers me. I like to do whatever I can so you can have the best of both worlds."

CJ takes Danny's hand and leads him back to the bedroom. " I know, and you're incredible and I thank God for that every day. It's not necessarily a bad thing that I don't imagine I could work at the White House and still have a stable home life. I wouldn't want that. It'd be too stressful. I was constantly stressed when I worked there, and it certainly wasn't healthy. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad by saying that, I was just stating a fact. It's been a really long day."

With a nod, Danny sits down on the bed and places his hand on CJ's thigh. "All right. Let's drop it. We should get some rest before the long day ahead of us tomorrow."

CJ folds over the bed sheets in preparation to crawl underneath. "Yeah, and when you take the kids to the Post tomorrow, can you try not to lose them so I can concentrate on the peace negotiations?" CJ laughs lightly, letting Danny know she is asking it in jest.

Danny responds with a massive grin, swatting CJ's backside lightly before pinning her to the bed beneath his arms. "Ha, ha. Maybe you should give up politics altogether and start your career as a stand-up comedian."

CJ giggles, trying to be quiet so they don't wake the children. "Maybe I'll be the next host of the Tonight Show. "

Danny turns more serious, letting up one arm to bring his hand to caress CJ's cheek. " Don't change anything. I love you just the way you are."

CJ locks gazes with her husband. " Ditto." CJ knows just how luck she is to have Danny as their lips merge seamlessly.


End file.
